Post the Fourth: Rest

Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.

I don't know how to rest. I get bored. Restless. I'm not good at using my time though when I'm not resting either - probably partly because I don't get enough rest. Sitting at the computer is not restful, although I tend to fall back on it, in the absence of rest.

We practice a Sabbath day or "Resting Day" as we call it. For one day, (dinner Saturday to dinner Sunday) no housework is required. We turn off our computers. We spend time together as a family. And, of course, we go to Church.

And even then, I can't rest. If we're at home, there is always work to be done and even if I am not doing it, I feel like I *should* be doing it. Which is not restful. Not on a deep level.

For example, one Sunday we volunteered at the last minute to baby sit three extra kids, so their parents could sleep after a sleepless night. Now, we did this out of love and concern for the people involved. I don't regret doing it. However, I think it's indicative of my tendency to not rest!

I am not one of those high energy people - the ones that have to be doing a craft project while they watch tv, and volunteer on seventeen different committees etc. I need rest, but I can't work out how to get it.

At the moment, I am struggling with low supply of breast-milk. I need to rest my body. My mind does not rest. Without sufficient physical activity during the day I find that I don't sleep well, or at least don't fall asleep as easily. So, it becomes self-defeating.

Rest also takes time. Time I could be doing other things. I allow times in the day to rest, but if I rest outside of these times the work builds up and I can't be restful knowing there is a disaster waiting in the kitchen. With four children the work is never ending.

So... how do I learn to rest?